The Virginia men's soccer team (3-0-1) has started off the season in fine form. Many pre-season questions have begun to be answered with the remarkable play of the defensive backline and the emergence of freshman Yannick Reyering at forward. The midfield has been playing solid, and goalkeeper Ryan Burke has made eight saves while recording four consecutive shutouts.
The 2005 campaign is about to get more difficult for the Cavaliers, however, with the commencement of conference play tomorrow in Klöckner Stadium against N.C. State. That game will be followed by two consecutive road contests against top-25 teams, No. 25 Old Dominion and No. 19 Boston College. After consecutive victories over the likes of Charlotte and Longwood, coach George Gelnovatch's squad is going to have to pick it up a notch.
"It's going to be a hell of a test for us this week," Gelnovatch said. "As for how we will handle it, we'll see."
In their only true test of the season so far, the Cavaliers displayed much grit and mental fortitude by battling then-No. 9 Santa Barbara to a 0-0 double overtime tie in what has been described as a "steel cage death match."
Virginia players were fouled an astounding 36 times and had to ignore a slew of vulgar epithets coming from the partisan Santa Barbara crowd. The Cavaliers also were hampered in that game by the absence of Reyering, who was ineligible to make the trip.
"That game at Santa Barbara was as tough as any ACC or playoff game," Burke said. "I think we'll definitely be ready."
N.C. State (3-2-1) will arrive in Charlottesville riding the momentum from a dramatic 2-2 Wednesday night tie against the No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels. Wolfpack midfielder El Hadj Cisse tied the game up with .5 seconds remaining in regulation.
N.C. State started the season with consecutive losses to Old Dominion and Fairfield before reeling off three straight victories over Mercer, St. John's and the College of Charleston. The Wolfpack features one of the premier senior classes in the ACC, highlighted by 2004 All-ACC honorees forward Aaron King and goalkeeper Jorge Gonzalez.
In the past, Virginia's games against smaller in-state, out-of-conference rivals have been consistent wins. That is not the case, however, with Wednesday's road matchup against Old Dominion. The Monarchs compiled a 13-6-2 record last season and were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament by Duke. Virginia will likely experience some trepidation on the trek down I-64 to Norfolk. Old Dominion has matched Virginia's 3-0-1 record so far for the 2005 season with victories over N.C. State, Rhode Island and Elon. The Monarchs also played to a 0-0 tie with Clemson.
"It's always a good thing to win against teams from Virginia," Burke said. "We only get to play them once a season, so if they beat you, it's a long year ahead."
Thanks to ACC expansion, Virginia travels to Boston College for the first time ever a week from tomorrow. The only time that the two teams have ever played was in a 1995 matchup in Charlottesville. Virginia won that game 3-2. Last year, the Eagles lost to eventual national champion Indiana in the Sweet 16. They are riding a three-game winning streak into their first ever ACC contest tonight against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
Each of these squads poses an individual unique challenge for Virginia. The Cavaliers' ability to adapt will likely be crucial to getting through this thorny section of the schedule.
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